Prior to the background of the invention being set forth, it may be helpful to set forth definitions of certain terms that will be used hereinafter.
The term ‘virtual reality’ (VR) as used herein is defined as a computer-simulated environment that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world or imagined worlds. Virtual reality could recreate sensory experiences, including virtual taste, sight, smell, sound, touch, and the like.
The term ‘virtual reality headset’ as used herein is defined as a head mounted display (HMD) by which a 3D computer-simulated environment is projected stereoscopically into the eyes of the user, with each eye receiving a slightly different point of view of the computer-simulated environment. One such virtual reality headset known in the art is Oculus Rift™. The virtual reality headset may be implemented as any type of stereoscopic visor and may be held within a helmet-type structure.
The term ‘3D model’ as used herein is defined as the product of 3D modeling being the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object (either inanimate or living). The model can also be physically created e.g., using 3D printing devices or even manually. 3D models may represent a 3D object using a collection of points in 3D space, connected by various geometric entities such as triangles, lines, curved surfaces, etc. Being a collection of data (points and other information).
The term ‘3D data’ as used herein is defined as any data structure, of any form and kind, derived from 3D objects. 3D data may include, for example, 3D models, 3D images but also less structured data types.
One challenge of 3D virtual reality today is to incorporate actual image or data of the users (e.g., virtual reality environment participants) for example in the view point of each of the other users in a seamless manner. As some of the virtual reality systems currently available require some form of virtual reality headsets within which the near eye display is being integrated, at least a portion of the face is being obstructed by the headset.
In some 3D virtual reality applications, it is desirable to capture in real time the image of the user and merge the image into the view of each of the other users. In such applications, a helmet such as a virtual reality headset or a face obstructing object serving as a near eye display may cause loss of data, for example portions the user's face, which undermines the altogether user experience.
FIG. 1 illustrates a virtual reality environment 100 according to the prior art, in which both persons (users) 106 and 108 are wearing a near eye display unit 102 and 104 respectively, which happen to obstruct at least a portion of their faces. Their respective views (what they see through the displays) 110 and 112 are usually 3D in nature and so each viewing image contains two viewpoints (not shown for simplicity). The views 110 and 112, presented to the users via their respective near eye displays include a computer-simulated environment not showing real objects 103 and 105. Views 110 and 112 of computer-simulated environment are adjusted in real-time responsive to the movements of the user. Views 110 and 112 present images of their counter participant 106A and 108A wearing the near eye display 102A and 104A which obstruct most of their faces in views 112 and 110. The face obstruction is an undesirable outcome and undermines the overall user experience.